Internship
by i-wanna-be-an-avenger-32
Summary: S.H.I.E.L.D. is holding tryouts for a junior internship! Nobody really knows what S.H.I.E.L.D. is, but tons of teens want to be a part of it. When Elizabeth gets in, she learns all, meets the Avengers, and has to balance school and her job while keeping it a secret. Other stuff happens too, don't worry ;) 1000x better than it sounds. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

(A/N): Disclaiming the whole story right now. I mean, obviously I don't own the Avengers. So, yeah. Disclaimed. Um, so yeah. There are no pairings, like... nobody's dating. It just makes it all complicated. So, Read & Review, hope you enjoy! Oh, one more thing! This is kind of a filler/set-up chapter, just to introduce the story and the characters.

**Chapter One**

"Madison Beatrice John, LET'S GO."

"No!" My best friend squealed and started to run. "Since when do you come up with ideas on what we should do when we hang out?"

I sighed. "Um, ouch, beeotch," I joked. "C'mon. This could be a great oppurtunity. Like, with education and stuff."

"You aren't even sporty, Beth. Why are you so enthusiastic about a junior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent internship?"

"Um, it's an oppurtunity to meet _Tony Stark, _a celebrity! And you're mom thought it was a good idea, so let's GO." I dragged her into the gym.

She was right. I wasn't sporty. These agent tryouts involved being fit and coordinated, but also smart. Luckily, we both had smart down—we were both in advanced classes. Unfortunately for me, Maddy had better grades than I. But whatever. I wanted this more. Really, I was determined to make something of my life. I had no hobbies, and maybe joining S.H.I.E.L.D. as their junior intern would work out well for me.

We walked over to a couple treadmills. I would usually be extremely lazy and skip them—I hated running—but I was super inspired today. We had to train for these tryouts.

I removed my sweatshirt and brushed out my tank top. I was wearing short workout shorts with it, while Maddy was wearing sweatpants. Secretly, I hoped she would get too hot first and give up.

While we were running, I lost all track of time. I had never used a treadmill before, but Maddy showed me how to set it up right, and then I was off. Without having to pay attention to where I was going, it was easy for my thoughts to just wander. And it was awesome.

"Beth! Beth! ELIZABETH LOMEN!" Maddy was yelling at me.

"What?" I asked, still running.

"How are you still running? It's been an hour?" She was covered in sweat.

I looked at the clock. "Oh... I guess it is. Sorry." I realized that I was breathing heavy and was also sweating. My legs were killing me. I stopped and walked off the treadmill. "Can we work on arm strength? I have noodle arms."

Maddy grinned. "Yeah, you do. Let's do pushups or something."

I groaned. "Isn't there a machine for arms? I can't do pushups."

We found something and started working. Soon, we were finished working out our arms, abs, and legs, and we felt finished.

I felt limp as we walked out of the gym. "That was—intense." I couldn't help but smile. "But kinda fun. We should do this every day!"

Maddy rolled her eyes. "That was excruciating." She shrugged. "But okay. I guess if we wanna be prepared, we should. Wanna sleep over?"

I nodded. "Let me call my mom real fast." I pulled out my cell phone. It was a basic, slide-keyboard, cheap old phone, and I hated it. But it was funtioning, so I figured it would do. I pressed 3 and then send. Mom picked up on the first ring. "Hey Mom!"

"Hi, sweetie! Did you girls have fun? Are you prepared for the tryouts? They're only in a week, you know."

I laughed. "I know, I know. We worked hard. Um, do you mind if I spend the night at Maddy's?"

"Sure! I need you home by noon tomorrow, though," she replied.

"Okay! Thanks. Love you, and I'll see you tomorrow!" I pressed end and turned to Maddy. "It's okay."

At Maddy's house, we grabbed a chicken caesar salad and brought it into her room for dinner. We were eating as healthy as we could for the past month, so we were perfectly fit. "So, what do you think they're looking for in everyone?" I asked.

Maddy shrugged. "I don't know. Isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. kind of secretive about everything? They don't reveal much. I'm not even sure what they do. Like, all anyone knows is that Tony Stark works with them. And didn't he help safe New York a couple years ago? So it's probably a big deal."

I shrugged. _Thanks for answering, _I thought, sarcastically. _I'll just be mature. Nobody likes a little kid. But I don't wanna lie about my personality. I'll be fun, too. Fun and mature. That should work._

Maddy fell asleep at nine-thirty, somehow. What a spoil sport. I couldn't catch sleep until one in the morning. I prayed Maddy's mom would let me have some coffee in the morning.

(A/N): Thanks for reading! Please review, I'd really appreciate it. Sorry this was just a filler. The next chapter might be the tryouts... EEEE!


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N): Sorry the last chapter was so short! I hope you enjoy this story!

**Chapter Two**

My stomach was twisted into knots. The day had come: it was the S.H.I.E.L.D. tryouts. I freaked out a little as I put on the outfit I had picked out yesterday: black leggings, a dark gray tanktop, white ankle socks, and my black Converse. The dark colors, I thought, helped to keep me from looking immature, but the outfit made it easy to run around in. According to the flier, we would have to be able to move. Hopefully I was good.

I didn't want to curl my hair, so I just made sure it was washed and brushed it out really good. It was naturally stick-straight and dirty blonde, and went a few inches below my shoulders, so I pulled it into a slick ponytail that sat on the middle back of my head, leaving a couple strands loose in the front so I didn't look too strict.

As for makeup, I decided I definitely needed it. As a freshman in high school, I was only fourteen, so I looked pretty young. I didn't want to seem like a baby.

I put on some light foundation, but not much—my skin was acne free, luckily. I then put on thin, waterproof eyeliner and black waterproof mascara on: perfect.

Mom drove me down to the place of the tryouts. It was a random warehouse a couple towns away.

After she had dropped me off, I started freaking out. I had everything; the flier said the only thing necessary to bring was a pen and a permission form that my parents had signed. I had brought just a simple black ballpoint—simple, easy to work with. I started walking toward the warehouse, trying to keep tall.

"Heyyy girly!" Maddy poked my shoulder. I turned my head and kept walking.

"Finally, you're here," I said. "Let's go."

There were very few people inside. I saw about five guys and three girls—and they all looked at least a year older than Maddy and I. I gulped.

I took a glance at Maddy... you know, an innocent scoping of the competition. She was wearing light purple sweatpants with the brand name written down the leg, a white tee shirt with the name brand written on the front, and Nikes. Her short brown hair was put in two stubby braids. She was makeup free. I tried not to smirk.

"Attention, kids!" I tried not to roll my eyes at the generalization. Kids. Ugh. A man with an eyepatch walked in. "I am Director Fury, of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll be runnning this. First of all, do you all have your permission forms?" He walked by and took them all from us. "Good. Now, there's a long table over there, see?" He pointed over to the other half of the warehouse. Run over there and grab a form and fill it out. It's just a contract stating that you'll listen to us, and blah blah, if you actually take the time to read it you'll find out. Go."

Everyone was about to run when Maddy raised her hand. "Um, excuse me, Mr. Fury?" she said.

Fury crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "What?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Um, how long will we have to fill the form out?"

I rolled my eyes. Maddy always asked way too many questions.

Fury buried his face in the palm of his hand. "Just run and fill it out."

Everyone ran over. I ran as hard as I could, making sure I wasn't left behind. I was surprisingly fast and was one of the first ones at the table.

I noticed that everybody just grabbed a random form, so I did the same. When we reached the table, Maddy raised her hand _yet again_. I stifled a groan. "Mr. Fury?" she asked. "How do we know which one is ours."

He groaned. "Goddammit kid, what is your name?"

"Maddy," she said.

"Well, _Maddy_," he replied. "You just take a form. I hope it isn't too confusing for you."

Maddy raised an eyebrow. "You can't just talk to me like that, Mr. Fury. You're being super rude."

Fury raised his eyebrows. "Actually, I _can _talk to you like that. Now fill out the form so we can get to the actual tryouts."

Soon, everyone had their forms filled out. We then had to write our names on name sticky name tags. When I got mine, I wrote "Elizabeth Lomen" on it in my black pen. I figured they would want a last name, and I didn't want them calling me Beth. It sounded childish, and I wanted to sound professional.

I turned to Maddy. Her name tag simply read "Maddy." I noticed she had brought a pink glittery gel pen. I almost snickered. It was clear that this was not a pink glittery type of internship.

Next was a physical test. We had to climb a rope, swing to the top of a staircase, run down the stairs, and dodge a series of obstacles. It was reverse alphabetical order by last name, so I had a bit to wait.

"Next up is Elizabeth Lomen," Fury called. I took a deep breath and ran toward the rope. I hadn't climbed a rope in six years. I used to be in gymnastics, but that was a while ago. I grabbed the rope and hoped that those pushups had paid off.

I started pulling myself up, pushing with my legs and pulling with my arms as fast as I could. The rope threatened to rip the skin on my hands, but I ignored the pain until I was at the top. I started swinging until I found myself in the right direction. I then jumped to the top of the staircase and ran as fast as I could down the stairs. Thank god I had a staircase in my house, so I was a pro at this. I then found the obstacles. I jumped over a tire without falling in the hole, ran around a hurdle because there was no way I could jump it, dodged automatically moving punching gloves, and threw myself on the ground so I could scoot under strings that Fury had told us we absolutely could not touch. I got up and walked to the crowd of kids who were finished.

I looked at Fury. He was finising up some notes with a hostile look on his face. My heart pounded. Uh oh, did I do bad?

I shifted my glance to Maddy. She was giving looking at me, kind of amazed. I knew she underestimated me, so I wasn't surprised. I took a deep breath.

"Next up... oh. It's Maddy John." He sighed. "C'mon, go. Unless you have any questions," he mocked.

I watched Maddy walk up to the rope with a dead expression on her face. I could tell she hated Fury. Honestly, I didn't mind him. I mean, he was telling the flat-out truth to Maddy that no one had told her before: she asks too many questions, and it's pretty annoying.

It took Maddy about five minutes to climb the rope. I sighed. It probably took me longer. She then started swinging in the wrong direction and grabbed the staircase, pulling herself over it. Running down the stairs, she almost tripped. I grinned. The stairs at her house were unsafe, so she never ran down them.

After hopping in the middle of the tire and then going out, she attempted to slide _under _the hurdle, causing me to almost giggle. I held myself back from laughing, though, even when her skinny frame got stuck. She then ran, getting lightly brushed in the arm once by a punching glove, and walked straight through the strings. I facepalmed. Had she even listened to Fury?

"Alright." Fury put his clipboard under his arm. "I've done my work here. Next, I'm bringing in a few heroes. You will be individully talking with the Avengers—you know, the ones who saved New York—for a bit. We'll be going by alphabetical order again. Don't do anything stupid. I'm gonna talk to them for a couple seconds." He walked through a door.

I turned to Maddy. "Oh my god! Do you know what this means? We get to meet Tony Stark!"

Maddy rolled her eyes. "He's the one with the facial hair, right? You know, he isn't that attractive."

I squinted at her. "I don't like him, Maddy. Seriously. It's just that we get to meet a celebrity, and some serious heroes!" She didn't look convinced. "Tony Stark is a genius."

She perked up. "Someone smart? Finally. That Fury guy seems so stupid, it's ridiculous."

I raised my eyebrows. "I think he knows what he's doing."

I heard footsteps. Fury walked in. "Okay. Well, one of you better be fit for this job, or S.H.I.E.L.D. just isn't gonna have a junior intern. We've already been to every other state in the US, and nobody was good enough. Now, the first person is Jessica Zalbright. Again. Go through the door."

I stood tapping my foot for literally an hour until Fury looked at his paper, nodded a slight bit for no apparent reason, and called, "Elizabeth Lomen!"

I gulped and started walking towards the door. I took a deep breath. I could not appear starstruck. I could NOT appear starstruck.

I pushed the door open, and it closed behind me with a loud slam. "Sorry," I said. "Um, hi."

I recognized them from the tabloids. There was one woman: Natasha Romanoff. I also saw a man who I vaguely recognized as Steve Rogers, one I thought was called Clint Barton, one who I was pretty sure was named Bruce Banner, one who I remembered had a weird name—Thor. His name was Thor Odinson. And of course, sitting there with them was Tony Stark.

"Hi, Miss Lomen," Natasha said. "Finally, one of these kids looks professional." I smiled.

"So I'm assuming you know who all of us are? Well, you at least know who I am, right? Unless you've been living under a rock." Tony waved his hand in front of his face. Natahsa very clearly glared at him.

"Yeah," I laughed. "I know who you all are. Sorry, Mr. Stark. I know you were _really _looking forward to meeting a hermit, weren't you?" I smirked.

They all laughed. "So, Elizabeth." Steve looked at a stack of papers. "It looks like Fury was pretty impressed by your performance today."

I blinked. "He was?" They all laughed again. "Well, um, that's good."

"Yeah yeah, cool it with the boring stuff, Capsicle," Tony said. I furrowed my brows. Capsicle? "So, Elizabeth. Tell me. What do you think of Stark Industries?"

"Tony, stop." Clint glared at Tony.

I laughed. "No, it's fine. I can answer that." Tony made an I-told-you-so face and motioned his hands toward me. "Personally, I don't have much experience with products by Stark. This is pretty sad, though. If I could, I would, but my Dad is against weapons. However, I find it pretty interesting. But my Dad's kind of an old man, so... yeah. Sorry if I sound like a suck-up right now. Like, I'm not trying to be that way. Trust me. I know a lot of suck-ups, and it's frickin annoying." I shrugged.

"She's cool!" Tony said, motioning toward me again. "She, she is cool."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "We can't just pick. We have to meet everyone. Besides, all we know about her is that her dad doesn't like weapons. So, Miss Lomen, I think Bruce has some questions prepared."

"First, may I ask the young girl a question?" Thor boomed.

They all looked at me. "Oh! Um, yeah, totally. Ask away."

"What are your opinions on coffee?"

I laughed while Clint, Bruce, Natasha, and Steve groaned. "Well, if I'm being honest, I actually love coffee. Probably not the best for a fourteen-year-old, but I can't help it. It's delicious. As long as it's not decaf."

They continued to ask me questions, only two of them professional. One was by Clint, and the other by Natasha.

"Okay, thank you. It was great talking to you, Miss Lomen," Natasha said.

"See ya, Elizabeth! Well, if you're picked," Tony called.

"Goodbye, Miss Elizabeth!" Thor said.

I walked out, hoping that they really liked me and weren't just being polite.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N): Sorry if it's a bit too drabbly

**Chapter Three**

Maddy walked from the room, looking pissed. "Hey, Mads. How'd it go?" I asked. "Aren't they hilarious?"

She crossed her arms. "What on Earth were you talking about? They were just about the rudest people I've ever met!"

I was taken aback. "Really? What'd they say?"

"Well, to quote your Tony Stark," she started, holding her arms up, "'Whoa, kid, chill. You are a very hateable person. Just, um putting that out there.' And then the woman told me, 'You're insane if you think you actually have power over us. You're just a kid.' And there were other things, too. They were insane! Ugh."

It honestly didn't sound too bad. Well, Tony's comment might've been a bit rough, but whatever. Maddy knew how to overreact. I didn't blame the Avengers.

I let her rant for a half hour or so until, finally, Fury walked out. "Alright, kids. We finally figured out who we've picked for the junior intern. If you're picked, then stay and talk with me. If not, you need to leave the warehouse immediately. All your parents are in the parking lot, except for the parents of the picked person. I called them. Clear?"

Maddy raised her hand. "Actually—"

"Dammit, Maddy!" Fury said. "It was rhetorical. I don't care about your question. Put your hand down."

Maddy crossed her arms and popped her hip. She looked so immature. There was no way she could be the one picked.

"Okay. The one picked for the junior internship job at S.H.I.E.L.D. is Elizabeth Lomen. The rest of you, go to the parking lot. Now."

I stood in complete and utter shock as I watched the other kids leave. Did I hear right? I, plain old Beth, was picked? Why? Wait, who cared why? I was picked!

The warehouse was now empty. I shivered. I never realized how could it was.

The Avengers all walked from the room. "Congrats, Junior," Tony said, walking past me. This was insane. This was crazily, beautifully, spectacularly insane.

"Oh, please, Stark. Don't go making up nicknames," Clint said. "Her name's Elizabeth."

"Cool it, Katniss," Tony replied.

"Guys! Does that really matter right now?" Fury asked. "Listen, Miss Lomen, because we're about to tell you everything about S.H.I.E.L.D."

I couldn't stop grinning. "Okay."

"So, basically, S.H.I.E.L.D. is kind of the government," Tony said.

"Let me do the talking, Mr. Stark." Fury turned to me. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is not 'kind of the government.' It is an espionage and law-enforcement agency, and a counterterrorism agency. It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. So we are part of the government. Do you follow?"

I nodded, although some of the words were pretty challenging. It was a good thing I was smart, or I would have been totally lost. "Yes sir."

"So, basically, you have just been recruited as our youngest agent. However, your family can not know this information about S.H.I.E.L.D. We've already contacted your parents and told them a cover story. That doesn't concern you. Try not to talk about your work with anyone. If S.H.I.E.L.D. is revealed, there could be a worldwide crisis. So, we're going to need you here again tomorrow at ten a.m. Sorry if you have church or whatever, but you're gonna have to skip."

I shrugged. "I don't go to church."

"Oh, um Fury forgot to say something!" Bruce said.

"What could I possibly have forgotten?" Fury raised his eyebrows. "And please don't piss me off, that Maddy kid was driving me insane today."

I groaned. "Oh my god, her. I know."

"You know that lunatic?!" Tony asked.

I grimaced. "Um, yeah. See, everyone at my school basically decided I was her best friend, so I've been forced to hang out with her for the past few years." Sure, it was a slight exagerration, but it was mainly true. "Isn't she a charmer?" I asked sarcastically.

"She was making me angry just by talking. And I'm great at anger management."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "No you're not. Do I have to remind you that you are—how do I say this—the HULK?"

I laughed. "Wait, Dr. Banner is the Hulk? Wait... yeah, I think I remember reading that in a magazine. You guys are really more famous than you think, you know." Tony made a face. "Except for Mr. Stark."

"Call us by our first names," Steve said. "Except for Fury. You probably shouldn't call him Nick."

I laughed. "Will do."

"Before we got off topic, I think what Bruce was going to say what Fury forgot to say was that you should pack a suitcase. You're supposed to have everything you need for staying the night somewhere with you. One of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s private jets will be here tomorrow and fly all of us to New York. You'll only spend the night, just to take a look at your workplace and get to know what your job will be, and then we'll all go to the Stark—erm, the Avengers Tower—and you'll stay in a guest room. Kay? We told your mom that you were going on a leadership trip or something stupid, I don't know. See you tomorrow."

Fury drove me to my house in a black Range Rover, and I felt like royalty.

Or more like an agent, which now... I was.

**oooooooooooo**

Walking into the warehouse, I was extremely drowsy. I wasn't used to such a lack of sleep on the weekends. I wore different clothes today: kind of professional, but less sporty in brown lace-up boots, dark wash skinny jeans, and a loose dark blue button-up top. I carried a gray-blue suitcase filled with everything I needed, and hopefully, I didn't look too horrible with my straight hair down and my makeup done the same as yesterday.

"Agent Lomen, nice to see you again," Fury said.

"Same to you, sir," I said, holding a yawn back.

We boarded the jet, and the Avengers were already inside. "This is my first time on a Midgardian air travel vehicle!" Thor stated.

Tony rolled his eyes. "No it's not, Thor. You came down to Oregon on the exact same jet. And to all the other states."

"But I was asleep during those flights," Thor replied.

"Elizabeth, do you want to sit next to me?" Natasha offered.

"Sure," I said. I walked down the aisle and found where she was sitting. She got up, grabbed my suitcase, and lifted it into the storage area like it was nothing. I knew that thing was heavy; I could barely drag it. She must've been strong.

We both sat down and the jet started to fly. She turned to me. "So, Elizabeth. How old did you say you were?"

"Fourteen, fifteen in January," I said.

"Really? I would have guessed older, maybe sixteen. That's good. We can't have it look like S.H.I.E.L.D. constantly hires children. Honestly, I don't know why they did this junior intern thing. Usually, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s super strict about who they recruit. I guess they thought they could test random kids who maybe they never had a chance to see in action."

"That's exactly why we did it, Agent Romanoff," Fury said, suddenly appearing beside us. "Coffee?"

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. Was Fury acting as our flight attendant? "I'll have some," Natasha said. "Black."

"Agent Lomen?"

"Sure. I'll also have it black."

Soon, the two of us were given huge cups of black coffee. I took a sip. Mmm. Something to wake me up. "Sorry if I sound immature, but waking up in time to be ready and at the warehouse at ten was way too early for me. I don't know how I even survive at school."

"That's not immature at all. We're all the same way. Usually, we wake _up _at ten," she said. "Hey, don't you have school tomorrow?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," I said. "Tomorrow's Monday."

"Fury called your parents," Clint responded.

"Clint, were you eavesdropping?" Natasha asked, calling to the row of seat ahead of us.

"Do you have a problem with that, Tash?" Clint asked.

"Seriously, chill, Tash!" Tony called in a mocking voice, possibly making fun of either Clint or Natasha.

"Call me that and I'll kill you, Stark."

I was about to laugh, but then I noticed the scared look on Tony's face. Oh god, Natasha wasn't kidding. Although... I should've expected that from an assassin. But then Tony laughed. "Kill me, and fans everywhere will kill you," he said.

"Oh, please. Don't have such a big head."

I took another sip of coffee, and it burnt my tongue. Tony turned around. "So, just a warning, once we get there, Fury's gonna ask you tons of boring questions about yourself."

I nodded, my throat burning from the hot beverage.

"Tony, those questions are important," Natasha said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to know as much as they can about Elizabeth so they know what job to asign her."

Tony blinked. "What? So, they don't even know? _S.H.I.E.L.D._ is unprepared?"

Fury appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. "Mr. Stark, we aren't unprepared. Sit back in your seat, and please, don't annoy the agents."


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N): Hopefully this chapter is better! I think you'll have a few emotions toward the upcoming events in later chapters... R&R!

PS: Sorry if this chapter is too long

PSS: Just letting you know... There are no relationships in this fic, not romantic ones! No Natasha x Clint, and obviously no Elizabeth x any Avenger—that would be creepy considering the age difference!

**Chapter Four**

First, I was taken to the Avengers Tower—previously known as the Stark Tower, according to Tony. I have to admit, I was a bit starstruck. The legendary Stark Tower?!

We walked in and I was instantly taken to floor 32. "JARVIS, take Agent Lomen's measurements and print them out," demanded Fury.

"Will do, sir," said a British man's voice.

I opened my mouth to speak, and then I closed it. I had figured a while ago, in the jet, not to really question anything. From my brief experiences, anything can happen around the Avengers, or any agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., really.

"That's JARVIS," Tony explained. "He's an AI I created myself."

I nodded, although the only AI that I had ever been around was Cleverbot, who, in comparison to JARVIS, didn't seem too clever. "Cool," I said, still kind of confused. But I wasn't going to play 20 questions and turn into Maddy.

We all sat down in a living room area. I sat on a chair by myself, and the Avengers sat on the couch, in an order that appeared random but for some reason that I sensed was slightly planned: from left to right, it was Tony, Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and Steve. Fury sat in a chair by himself as well. "So, Agent Lomen, I heard from Agents Barton and Romanoff that your earlier interview with the Avengers wasn't very professional."

I nodded, kind of laughing. "Yeah... but it was fine."

He raised an eyebrow a bit. "It may have been fine for you, but S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to know a bit more about you. All we have are your results from the obstacle course, and they somehow managed to figure out that you have two parents, and go to Clark High School. So, my first question. What are you good at?"

I bit my lip and looked down. Oh god. What _was _I good at?! "Um..." I tapped my foot. "I'm a good liar," I blurted. "Oh, wow, um, that probably isn't the kind of answer you were looking for."

"It's fine," Natasha injected. "Lying is an important skill to have. You'll be doing a lot of it."

They asked more questions, figuring out my strengths, weaknesses, basically everything. It took an hour. "So, you'll be getting trained tomorrow by each Avenger individully. We'll continue doing this every time we call you in. Mr. Stark will take your bags while he shows you to your room."

"I never agreed to dragging her things around," Tony said.

"Take them," Fury ordered. Grumbling, Tony got up and dragged my suitcase.

"Whoa, Elizabeth. What'd ya pack, bricks?!" He struggled with it.

I smirked. "Yeah Tony. First day on the job, and I just packed a case of bricks." In all reality, I had had no clue what to pack, so I practically everything from toothpaste to acne treatment to pretty dresses to flip flops. And a bit more.

I hesitantly got up, and followed him into a huge bedroom at least four times bigger than mine back at my house. "Here ya go, Liz," he said. He released my suitcase and let it fall to the ground. "Now, I'm pretty sure Fury wants to bring you to the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility and show your around, so... yeah." He speed-walked out, and I followed.

**oooooooooooo**

After an extensive, much-too-lengthy four-hour tour of S.H.I.E.L.D., it was nine o' clock. I would never admit it, but I was EXHAUSTED. They brought me back to the 32nd floor. "So, your training starts tomorrow. We decided we wanted you longer, so we contacted your family and told them that you would not be back until Saturday." Fury crossed his arms, but I didn't think he was angry. "She sounded concerned, so be sure and tell her how 'fun' and 'safe' your job is. Just don't mention what it's about or who's involved in it. If you absolutely need a cover story, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a teen fitness and leadership program, or something along those lines. Parents eat that stuff up."

I nodded. "Okay." I wanted to know what I would be doing for the extra week, but I figured I could probably figure it out on my own.

Natasha handed me a hanger with a plastic bag. "While you were getting a tour, a uniform was made for you. Wear it at all times while working at S.H.I.E.L.D., including your training this week."

"Thanks," I said, taking it.

Fury stood up. "Agent Lomen, since you're staying in their tower, I'll just leave you to be with the Avengers. I should _hope _you'll be safe." He shot a slightly nerve-wracking look at a couple of them. We all stood in silence as he walked into the elevator.

"Well, you probably don't want us on your floor," Steve said after a while, stepping toward the elevator. I shrugged, and he started to leave, but then was distracted by a noise. It was my phone going off, ringing with an annoying trill. My face became hot and I checked to see who was calling. It was Maddy. _Ugh_.

I must have made it apparent that I really didn't want to talk, because Bruce asked, "Who's calling?"

I groaned. "It's that girl that everyone hates. Maddy."

Before I could tell him to do other wise, Tony snatched my phone and picked up, pressing speakerphone. He made a motion for us all to be quiet.

"Heyyy girly!" Maddy said. The Avengers all raised their eyebrows, as if they were saying, "Did she really just say that?", and I rolled my eyes, grimacing.

"Is this Maddy?" Tony asked. I bit back laughter. "Hate to disappoint, but this isn't 'girly.' This is Tony Stark."

Natasha looked kind of annoyed or angry at first, but couldn't help but grin ever so slightly when Maddy started making herself sound stupid. "Tony Stark? You mean that full-of-himself, rude, idiotic jerk with too much money for his own good?"

Tony smirked. "That would be me. I have a message that Elizabeth wanted me to pass on to you."

"What?!" I squealed, eyes wide. Oh god, he better not ruin the one-sided friendship I had with Maddy. As much as she was overbearingly obnoxious, she was my best friend. It was complicated, but it worked for me...

Natasha lifted her hand and covered my mouth so fast it almost felt like a slap in the face. I tried not to react and to ignore the pain. "Shh," she whispered. "I kind of want to hear this."

"Oh yeah? How is Beth? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Maddy yelled over the phone.

"Whoa there, calm down. She's fine. She's... asleep... and she wanted me to pass on a message. I was actually just about to call."

"She's asleep? At nine? It is nine in New York, correct? Yeah. She's asleep at nine. Hmm... That's a shock, considering her insomnia. It's pretty extreme."

"Yes, she's sleeping. Shut up."

I gulped. "Whatever. What's the message?" Maddy interrogated.

"Elizabeth wanted me to tell you that on next Monday, all your friends, including her, are wearing costumes to school, to, and I quote, 'protest against people who bully feminists.' She wants everyone to wear a costume that isn't made for girls in any way to promote gender equality. And also, she says not to ask any other friends about it. The government can hear phone calls, you know, so they might try and stop it, and she doesn't want the surprise of other peoples' costumes to be ruined for you."

I stared at Tony, raising my eyebrows. There was _no way _Maddy was going to believe that. Although, I was curious about how Tony knew Maddy had a slight interest in feminism.

"Sounds great! I love love _love _that Beth is finally standing up for something! Tell her to call me in the morning, 'kay? I don't 100% believe you, but I know that Bethie is a horrible liar, so if this is a prank, I would know."

"Yeah, I'll tell her, whatever." He pressed end. "She said you're a bad liar."

I smirked. "Yeah... that's my greatest lie. I have everyone at school _thinking _I'm a bad liar, but really, lying is one of the things I'm best at."

"That's genius, especially for a normal teenager," Natasha said.

I tried to hold back my pride, so I changed the subject. "Tony, how'd you know that Maddy likes feminism. She obviously _isn't _a feminist—she's almost the opposite—but... how'd you know she's into it?"

Every single one of the Avengers groaned, even Thor, who I had figured out wasn't really used to anything on Earth, and Steve, who seemed pretty polite. "She droned _on _and _on _about it during her interview." Clint clenched his jaw.

I laughed. "That explains a lot."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"Maddy sounded pretty upset after her interview. She was all like, 'They are the rudest people EVER' and stuff." I bit my lip, grinning. "It was pretty funny."

Thor frowned. "Maddy was the rude one. She insulted all of us!" he boomed.

"Yeah, we were just defending ourselves," Clint said.

Natasha crossed her arms. "She thought she had as much authority as the rest of us."

I sighed. "Sounds like Maddy."

Tony sort of raised his hand, stepping forward. "Does she have an actual name? Or is it just Maddy?"

_Actual name?_ I thought, laughing in my mind. "Her actual first name is Madison, but she hates in when people call her that. And she'll probably try and kill you if you call her Madison Beatrice."

"I'll take note of that," Tony said, and I could tell he was planning on calling her that if he ever spoke to her again. "Oh, and is this seriously your cell phone?"

I nodded, hesitant. "Yeah, why?"

"It's a piece of shit," he replied.

I pursed my lips. "Tell that to my parents."

He stared at it. "I might. This thing sucks." He paused. "I can make you a better phone." I laughed. "No, I'm serious," he said.

"You make weapons, Stark." Steve crossed his arms.

"And the suit!" Tony repelled.

"That's kind of a weapon," Bruce noted.

"I can make a phone," Tony said.

"I already have a phone. It's fine, seriously," I tried.

"No, it's not. I'm making a phone. That's final."

"Why so stubborn?" Steve asked.

"I'm not being stubborn, I just want to make a phone. I've never made a cell phone before."

"Whatever. Nothing we can do to stop you. You can make a phone, but it better not shoot fire or self-destruct or anything," Clint decided.

"Well, I'm starving," Steve said. "I'm gonna go to my kitchen and attempt to cook something." He got into an elevator and soon vanished from our vision.

I gulped. Oh god. I had no clue how to cook, and we hadn't had dinner yet today. Was there even food in the guest kitchen?

"I am going to make the pastry Midgardians call Pop Tarts!" Thor exclaimed.

"You can't just eat Pop Tarts, Thor," Bruce said. "It's extremely unhealthy."

Thor looked a bit angered by that comment. "I will make myself Pop Tarts," he mumbled, leaving the floor.

"Well, I'm gonna make a cell phone. Later," Tony said, walking toward the elevator looking determined. "You'll have a new phone by tomorrow, Junior!"

I turned to the people remaining on my floor. "Is he serious?" I questioned.

"Yes," Natasha said. "And there are some microwave dinners in your freezer." She started walking. "Wanna come have dinner, Clint?" Natasha asked. "I have some leftovers that need to get eaten."

"Oh, um, yeah, of—of course," Clint said, following her.

Bruce left at the same time as them, and I was alone on my floor. I took a deep breath and decided to look around.

I was standing in a living room with two couches and two chairs. I saw a kitchen with a tiny table with three chairs nearby, and already knew where my temporary bedroom was. There were more rooms that I decided I would look at after I ate.

My thoughts were deeply thinking about everything. _I just talked to the Avengers. The AVENGERS. In a normal conversation. And I'm working with them, and staying in their building._

I found myself in the kitchen, where I was surrounded by metal. Lots and lots of metal. Metal countertops, metal microwave (_How does it not blow itself up?_ I wondered), metal stove... everything. Everything was metallic, and modern... I walked myself to the freezer which, yes, was metal.

There were at least twenty boxes of Lean Cuisine. I laughed. Earth's mightiest heroes, including a billionaire... and the freezer was stocked with cheap microwaveable dinners. I found a decent-looking stir-fry one and followed the instructions.

I sat at my table in silence, eating the scorching meal, letting it burn my throat. My chewing was slow-paced; I wasn't in any rush to get to bed. I normally couldn't get any sleep until two in the morning or so, and my exhaustion from a busy day wasn't going to change that. By the time I finished, it was 10. I sighed. I had lost any tired feelings.

I threw away the plastic tray from the meal and threw my fork in the sink. The food had been spicy, and I decided I needed water. I searched through metal cabinets, finding plates and bowls and trays... and finally, cups.

The kitchen must have been for adult guests, because most of the glasses I saw were shot glasses or wine glasses, or big thick glasses with beer brand titles printed on them. I luckily found a few that were just normal glasses, and I took one and brought it to the fridge.

There was a space for filtered water to exit the fridge, but no button. Confused, I held the glass under the space. Water trickled down into it.

I couldn't help but grin. "Motion activated," I whispered.

"Actually, Miss Lomen, I noticed you holding the glass and started the water," a British voice sounded. I jumped.

I waited a minute for my heartbeat to slow. It was JARVIS. That would take some getting used to.

"Oh." I shook my head, still recovering from being startled, and drank the water.

After setting my glass on the counter, I decided to check out the few rooms I didn't recognize.

I found a game room complete with a pool table, a bathroom, a television room, and a bar. I shook my head, smirking. Something told me Tony liked alcohol.

**oooooooooooo**

By 1:52 AM, I was feeling extremely tired. I had spent hours watching some random reality TV trash show in the television room after I had taken a shower, brushed my teeth, and changed into gray sweatpants and an old tight-fitting tee. My hair had been put into a soggy braid, but now, it was almost dry. I reluctantly got up and dragged myself to my bedroom, getting into bed.

Just moments after I closed my eyes, I heard a loud, low scream coming from a few floors below me. My eyes widened. Oh god. I was gonna die. What was that?

I forced my eyes shut, squeezing them until my face hurt. I tried to keep my breathing steady. I listened closely, and while the loud scream had stopped, I still heard a few more noises. A loud grunt sounded pretty close under me. I didn't know who resided in the floors below me in order, but I figured it was probably Tony, possibly still at work on that stupid cell phone project.

I heard another scream, and pulled an extra pillow over my ears. Who was that? I closed my eyes, and...

**oooooooooooo**

My eyes shot open, my heart pounding. I absently grabbed my phone from the bedside table and checked the time. It was four in the morning.

The thoughts ran through my mind over and over, and I tried to ignore them. _It was just a nightmare. Just... a... nightmare._ I shuddered, the images completely filling my mind.

I heard the dinging noise of the elevator, bringing me out of my all-too-common nightmare-filled trance. Nightmares were typical for me, one of the reasons I never liked going to bed.

Footsteps were getting louder. I pulled the blankets over my eyes. My door opened, and I imagined the screams from earlier that night.

"Elizabeth?" I recognized the voice, but was too scared and tired to place it with a face.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's Natasha," the voice said.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I asked, removing my face from the darkness under the covers.

"I woke up," she said. "A half hour ago. Um, Tony and Clint and I are hanging out in Clint's kitchen, and we heard you scream, and they were concerned, so... they sent me up here to check on you."

I furrowed my brow, my eyes adjusting to the dark. "I screamed?"

"Yeah." She kind of smirked. "Almost louder than Bruce."

"That was Bruce?" I asked.

"Yeah. He does that every night."

"Oh." I gulped. "Well, tell Tony and Clint that I'm fine."

"I figured you were," she said. "Honestly, they must think of you as barely a little girl. Almost all of us scream at one point or another while we sleep. They should be used to hearing it."

I laughed. "Well, I'm just the kid you have to babysit or whatever, so I'm not surprised that they were a little shocked."

"Do you mind if I ask why you screamed?" she asked. I was surprised. Rarely did I ever see Natasha with so much emotion.

"I... had a friend," I said. "We were best friends for a long time... Well, we never did stop being friends. Her family life was tough, though, and she became depressed, and she... she sent pictures of her scars, of..." I took a deep breath. "I tried to stop her. I could tell she wanted my help, but I couldn't do it. She killed herself the day after we had a sleepover. I was depressed about her death for a _long _time, but... wow, you really don't care. Sorry."

She crossed her arms. "No. Continue."

I gulped. "Okay. If you say so. So I was depressed about the death of my best friend for the longest time—I still kind of am—but I never showed it. I never really reveal any emotion other than happiness." I blinked, hoping I wouldn't start crying. "I never told anybody about my friend's death. Some people knew about it, and those who didn't probably never will." I paused. "Sorry. You probably didn't need to know about my weird dramatic problems.

Natasha smiled, but in a sad, sympathetic way. "No, it was interesting. Everyone here basically has some tragic life story. It's refreshing to know that we don't have some perfect idiot staying here."

I tried not to grin. "Well, you probably want to get back to Clint and Tony," I said. "I'll be fine. No more screaming, don't worry. I most likely won't even get back to sleep."

She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "You won't go back to sleep?"

"No..."

I watched as she typed something with amazing speed on her phone. It buzzed in under a minute. "Come on," Natasha said. "They want you to come back to the kitchen with me."

I hesistantly got up, not sure if she was serious. "Really?"

"Yes. Hurry."

I got up, trying to match Natasha's speed. She was wearing black fleece shorts and a red tank top, and I tried not to giggle. It seemed like even when she wasn't in uniform, she wore Black Widow colors.

We stepped into the elevator. "Take us to Clint's floor, JARVIS," Natasha demanded.

_Ding_. The doors opened.

"Hey!" Tony called. He was holding a glass of something that I figured was alcohol. "Welcome to the Insomniac Club!" He tried to set the glass down, but he missed the counter, and it fell to the floor and shattered.

"Had enough to drink, Tony?" I asked sarcastically.

"Clean that, Stark," Clint warned.

I laughed as Tony rolled his eyes. "No." He turned to me. "And I'm not drunk," he said, his words starting to slur.

"Not yet," Natasha deadpanned.

"I finished your cell phone!" Tony said, changing the subject.

"Yeah?" I asked.

He handed me a black rectangular phone with a touchscreen. The words "Stark Industries" were printed on the back. "This was one of the easiest things I've ever made," he said. "I entered all our phone numbers in it. Consider it a work phone." He told me the number to use to call it, and Natasha and Clint entered it in their phones.

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll need a work phone."

Clint smirked. "If you scream in your sleep like that again, you will. We'll all be telling you to shut up."

I frowned. "Oh come on. That's nothing compared to Bruce."

"Drink?" Tony asked, looking directly at me and pouring a small glass of an alcoholic beverage.

"I'm fourteen. I can't drink," I reminded him.

"We won't tell," Clint said. He elbowed Natasha.

She turned and glared, until she saw Clint and her gaze softened. "Yes, we won't tell."

Tony slid the drink toward me. "At least try it," he said.

I laughed. "Fine, but I swear, if you tell my parents..." I was gonna use a fake threat, but figured if I said "I'll kill you," someone would take it as a challenge. I grabbed the glass and took a drink.

The flavor was kind of bitter, but it wasn't bad. "What is it?" I asked.

"Vodka," Natasha said.

"Do you like it?" Tony asked. "I like whiskey myself, but Natasha told me we were gonna have vodka, and she threatened me—" He stopped talking when he noticed Natasha's ferocious stare.

I nodded a bit. "It's okay," I said.

"You'll love it when you're older," Natasha said. "Especially since you'll be working for S.H.I.E.L.D."

I took a few more drinks. "Yeah?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is just a big facility of stress," Tony said, laughing. "Have a drink or two and try not to die."

"Not funny, Tony," Clint warned. Natasha crossed her arms.

In ten or fifteen minutes—I didn't quite remember because it started getting hazy—I had finished my drink. "Well, probably it's time I get to bed..." I said.

"Night," one of them said.

And that is the last thing I remember about the first day I ever drank.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N): Oooh, first day of Elizabeth's training with the Avengers! This should be interesting. Hopefully, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be able to figure out what kind of jobs Elizabeth gets to do soon! Also, I said no romantic relationships, but obviously there's Tony x Pepper... Pepper probably won't appear in the story, but it just feels wrong to not have them technically together.

**Chapter Five**

A loud alarm woke me up at ten in the morning. My head was pounding. Ugh. I should've just ran away from that vodka.

I walked myself to the bathroom and unexpectedly vomited in the toilet. I couldn't help but laugh at myself. I knew that drinking lead to hangover puking, but of course, I thought it wouldn't get to me.

"Good morning, Miss Larsen. Mr. Fury is on the first floor, and would like you to know that you and the Avengers are to meet him there at eleven thirty. He says you should wear your uniform."

"Thanks, JARVIS," I muttered, grabbing a plastic cup that was next to the sink and rinsing the puke taste out of my mouth.

I trudged back into my room and, after doing a few stretches, changed into my uniform. I was given a black pencil skirt, a white button-up top, and a black jacket with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo printed on the sleeves with a pair of black high heeled shoes. I wondered how I could do any training in a tight skirt, assuming my training would involve exercise.

I did my makeup the same as I had ever since the tryouts—it seemed to work well for the job. I undid the braid in my hair, causing it to be wavy. I grinned at my reflection.

My stomach grumbled. Breakfast. This was a meal I could handle. I walked to the kitchen and found some fruit—bananas, blueberries, and strawberries. I put them in a blender with milk, yogurt, ice, and one carrot. A smoothie.

I poured my breakfast into a glass and gulped it down. I looked around, trying to find out the time, but I couldn't find a clock. But... wait a second... "JARVIS, what time is it?"

"It is eleven twenty-seven. I suggest you go to the first floor."

"Thanks." I ran to the bathroom, rinsing my mouth with mouthwash but not taking to the time to brush, and fled to the elevator, frantically pressing the "1" button.

"The others are late," Fury deadpanned. "Typical."

I stood in awkward silence. Steve emerged from the elevator. "Sorry I'm late, sir," he said.

"Yeah," Fury said.

Next to appear was Bruce, followed by Thor. "My apologies," Thor called. "The Pop-Tart cooking machine was having severe issues."

"You mean the toaster?" I asked. Thor tilted his head a slight bit.

Natasha exited the elevator next, saying no words, but not in an angry or tense way. Just in a... Natasha way. Clint immediately followed.

Last to come was Tony. "Morning," he said.

Fury crossed his arms. "You guys need to work on punctuality. C'mon. Agent Lomen needs to have the longest amount of time possible for her S.H.I.E.L.D. Training."

Outside, there was a large black car with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo printed on the side waiting for us. I didn't recognize the model or brand of the vehicle, which was unusual because my dad was a huge car junkie who had taught me everything he knew about them. As a matter of fact, he had taken me to a closed parking lot the day after my fourteenth birthday to learn to drive. I shrugged it off, figuring it was a newer model of something.

Fury got in the drivers seat and forced the rest of us in the backseat rows. "I know you guys are big on violently deciding things at times, so, to avoid any injuries, I've already decided the order Agent Lomen is going to be trained." He handed a piece of paper back to me.

I took the paper. It had the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo at the top, and the font suggested it was typed on a typewriter even though it was obviously made on a computer. It read:

**AGENT LOMEN'S S.H.I.E.L.D. TRAINING ORDER**

**12:00-1:00 NATASHA ROMANOFF**

**1:00-2:00 BRUCE BANNER**

**2:00-3:00 TONY STARK**

**3:00-4:00 THOR ODINSON**

**4:00-5:00 CLINT BARTON**

**5:00-6:00 STEVE ROGERS**

I wondered what I could possibly learn from Thor, whose power came from being a god, but wasn't too worried about it. Despite only being hired for a couple days, I trusted S.H.I.E.L.D., and knew they could figure it out.

"Can I see that?" Steve asked from a row of seats ahead of me.

"Sure," I said, handing it forward.

I couldn't see his reaction, but he soon handed it back to me. I wondered if he was angry about being last... Or maybe he was greatful for it.

**oooooooooooo**

Natasha put her hand on her hip. My heels were starting to hurt my feet, especially on this concrete floor, and that plus the feeling I was being silently criticized didn't boost my confidence about how this training would go over. "I can't believe they made you wear heels and a skirt," she said. "On your first day." I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I mean, she hadn't even told me what we were doing for my training, so I didn't know if I even agreed. "Okay." She clapped her hands together once. "I don't think working on any combat skills on your first day will be beneficial, so... do you know how to use a gun?"

I gulped my fear down. Weapons? "No," I admitted. "I've never even seen one in person."

She took a deep breath. "Than we have a lot of work to do." She looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if in deep thought. "I'll be right back. Don't move a muscle."

Not sure how literal she was being, I watched her leave, my body still as stone. I cracked my knuckles to avoid chewing my nails (although, I wasn't sure cracking my knuckles was any better).

"Here. I brought two pistols. Usually I would use both, but you need one." Natasha walked toward me, handing my the weapon. "Careful not to touch that," she said, pointing to a part of the gun. "The pistols are loaded."

My heart started pounding out of my chest. "Okay," I muttered. My voice sounded weak.

Natasha stopped. "You can't be scared by it, Elizabeth," she said.

"I could kill a person with what I'm holding in my hands!" I protested.

She smirked. "You could kill a person with just your hands. Your entire body is a weapon. You aren't scared of yourself, so why are you scared by a tiny little gun?"

Her words were strangely reassuring. "You're right," I said. "Sorry. Continue."

She showed me how it worked, pointed somewhere, and I shot.

**oooooooooooo**

Bruce made me realize that I knew very, _very _little about science. He kept saying all these long words, like "**tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin**" or short abbreviations that I didn't understand, like "h202."

"Could you teach me something easier?" I asked. I realized I sounded annoying, but honestly, it was complicated beyond my current scientific level.

Bruce sighed. "What science class are you in at school?"

"Advanced," I simply replied.

He nodded. "And what grade do you have in 'Advanced Science'?"

I squinted, thinking of what my current grade in that class was. "I have an A-minus."

"Fine. I'll teach you easier science for now." He shrugged and seemed to search his mind for easier content. "What do you know about dioxyribonucleac acid?"

"Can you please just say DNA?" I asked. "You don't need to go through the trouble of saying the whole word. I learned what it stands for in seventh grade."

**oooooooooooo**

"Oh! Didn't see you there." Tony turned around. He had been sitting in a chair, watching TV. What kind of training room was this? There were chairs, a television, a cupboard...

"Hi," I said. It still amazed me a little bit that I was working with a celebrity.

"So, I figured that there's nothing I can teach you," he said. "Well, there probably is something, but I don't really feel like putting the effort in right now. Don't tell Fury."

I furrowed my brows. "I won't... but..."

"There are some snacks in the cupboard. Help yourself."

I walked to the cupboard, a bit dazed, but unsure of what else to do. I rolled my eyes at the contents of it. "Tony, this is just liquor."

"There should be some blueberries behind it," he called.

I pulled bottle upon bottle of drinks until I found a bag of berries. I opened it up, hesistantly, and ate one. It didn't seem to be bad, so I ate a few more.

**oooooooooooo**

"Welcome, Miss Elizabeth!" Thor boomed.

I winced. He was loud. "Hi, Thor," I greeted. Something hit my right shoulder. Something... heavy. "Ow!" I rubbed my shoulder and looked at the ground. I picked up the object that hit me. "Thor? Why did you throw a toaster at me?"

He held up a box of Pop-Tarts. "It won't work."

I sighed. "Okay." This reminded me of babysitting. "To make it work, you need an outlet. There aren't any outlets in this room."

He looked angered. "But... I need—"

"You know," I said, "You don't have to toast Pop-Tarts. You can eat them untoasted."

His eyes lit up, and he eagerly tore the box open and shoved one of the pastries in his mouth. He grinned and held the box out. "Do you want one?" he asked, mouth full.

**oooooooooooo**

"Do you have any experience with archery?" Clint asked from the beams in the ceiling.

My mind flashed to a memory from the summer between fifth and sixth grade. I was at a two-week summer camp, and archery was one of the activities. I remembered missed shots, broken arrows, and overall failure. "No," I lied. At least it would give me an excuse to have no skills whatsoever.

Clint tossed a bow to me, and I barely caught it. "I'll try and teach you, then."

**oooooooooooo**

I walked into Steve's training room, and all I saw were punching gloves and punching bags. _Awesome, _I thought sarcastically. _Punching stuff_. "Hi," I said, closing the door behind me.

"Hello, Elizabeth," he said. "Today we're going to practice punches."

"Okay," I said, strangely nervous. "Sounds good."

He tossed me the punching gloves. "I couldn't find any children's sized gloves, so they might be a little big. Other than that, they should be fine."

I nodded, trying to figure out how to put them on. I finally got the bulky items around my hands. It felt as if my arms were drooping forward due to the extra weight.

"Okay. Now imagine the punching bag is an enemy coming to attack, and punch it as hard as you can."

I swung my right arm, my shoulder feeling as if it were being ripped off, feeling out of control, and whacked it with all my might.

It barely budged.

**oooooooooooo**

Back in the car, I rubbed my shoulder. "Is there something wrong, Elizabeth?" Natasha asked.

I turned and made a face at Thor. "Someone threw a toaster at me, that's all."

Everyone but Fury, who had his eyes on the road, turned and looked at Thor. "It wasn't working," Thor said, innocent shame washing over his face.

"So you threw it at our newest agent?!" Fury asked.

"I—" Thor started.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again," Bruce said.

I suddenly felt guilty. "I'm fine, really. It barely hurts," I lied.

Natasha jabbed her finger at my shoulder. I winced and swore under my breath, surprising myself (I rarely swore—maybe being around all these adults was rubbing off on me). "You're not fine," Natasha said. "It's obvious that it still hurts. Don't lie."

I took a deep breath. "It'll be fine by tomorrow," I said, unsure.

"We'll get you some painkiller back at the tower."

I nodded. "Kay," I whispered.

"I am sorry, Elizabeth," Thor apologized.

I smiled, trying not to hurt his feelings. Ugh, I was much too aware of others' emotions. "Don't worry about it," I said. "I forgive you."

(A/N): Soooo... what'd you all think of the short parts of Elizabeth's training? Did you like them, or were they boring. I have _a lot _planned for future chapters, so don't forget to read and please leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

My week at work—well, more like training—was over. Overall, I had gone through six days of training, three late night/early morning kitchen hang-outs with Natasha, Tony, and Clint, and two glasses of alcoholic beverages. My life already felt completely changed. The only problem was that I couldn't tell anyone about what really happened.

I sighed as I zipped my suitcase shut. For the ride back, I wore a pair of black leggings, dark brown boots, and a huge gray sweatshirt. It was only a week, but it felt like a lifetime. Who knew when they would need me for work again?

I exited my temporary room at the Avengers Tower. The thought that I might never reside on that floor saddened me—I had grown fond of the Avengers. They treated me as a friend rather than a baby, despite the age difference, and were never afraid to have fun. I smirked, remembering Tony and the phone call to Madison. Err, Maddy. _Yikes, _I thought. _I'll need to get used to calling her by her nickname again_. Ever since I told them her full name, the Avengers had called her Madison, and it stuck in my mind.

Oh god. Maddy was going to wear a costume to school. A pang of guilt twirled in my stomach, but I closed my eyes and pushed it away. It was just a prank. And for all Maddy knew, I wasn't involved.

On the first floor, Fury was waiting for me. "We'll need you to come in to work for a few short weekends," he said. "I'll someone to contact you when you're needed."

I nodded. "Okay," I said. Being alone with Fury made me uneasy. We walked outside, and a private jet was waiting. _This ride is going to take forever without anyone for me to talk to, _I thought.

We boarded the jet, and I dragged my suitcase. It was a bit heavier than it was the day I arrived: it now had my uniforn, which added a surprising amount of weight. It was easier for me to drag now, thoough: just a week of insane training (well, mainly only Natasha and Steve's training) had made me a bit stronger.

I checked both of my cell phones before the jet flew off. I had no new messages on my regular phone, which was surprising. Usually I would've been flooded with texts from my overprotective parents. On my work phone, however, I had six messages. I smiled, thinking of how there were six Avengers.

**Natasha: Bye, Elizabeth. See you again soon.**

** Tony: Later, Junior. PS If Thor (or Steve, maybe) texts... he still doesn't really know how to work his phone.**

** Bruce: Keep up that science grade, Elizabeth. -Bruce Banner**

** Thor: Goodbye elizabeth we cannot wait to see you again from thor**

** Steve: Goodbye, Elizabeth. See you soon when you come in for work.**

** Clint: Bye, Elizabeth. See you soon.**

I smiled at their messages as the jet took off, prohibiting me from texting. However, it broke my heart to think that there was a possibility that I wouldn't work with them again. From what I heard, some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents never interact with the Avengers. I looked at their messages again, noticing most of them said something along the lines of "see you soon." Maybe I _would_ work with them!

**oooooooooooo**

"Beth! Honey!" Mom grabbed me in a bear hug as soon as I walked through the door. "How was work?"

"It was great," I said, smiling. I then hugged Dad, who was standing at the door as well. "It was super fun."

"Were you safe?" Mom asked.

"Of course!" As I said it, I realized it was a lie. I had used weapons, not to mention the drinking. "Why didn't you call?" I asked.

Mom frowned. "Well, a man who called himself Director Fury called and told us that you were prohibited from using electronics."

I slapped my forehead. "Duh! Sorry, I completely forgot about that! I guess I expected you to just call somehow! I was really into my work."

"What kind of work is it?" Dad asked.

My heart pounded. What did Fury say to say? "Um... it's really hard to explain... just..." Suddenly, I remembered. "Lots of leadership stuff. And, um, a little bit of fitness. Like I said... hard to explain."

They nodded. "Oh, that's awesome!" Mom exclaimed. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Mom always tried to sound younger by saying words like "cool," or "awesome," and it got annoying.

"Um, I need to unpack, 'kay?" I asked. I started walking up the stairs to my bedroom.

"We're having pasta for dinner!" Mom called after me. "It'll be done in fifteen minutes!"

"Okay!" I yelled, already in my room.

I opened my suitcase and unpacked in a surprisingly quick amount of time. I set my normal cell phone on my dressertop and grabbed my work phone, trying to find a hiding spot. Something told me I probably shouldn't show it to anyone.

_Bzz._ I tried to figure out which phone was vibrating. I felt a light shake in my hand, so I figured it must be my work phone.

**Natasha: Fury is going to pick you up and bring you to work this weekend for Fri., Sat. & Sun. Also, we'll need you for the first week of your winter break. Please respond with which days those are.**

I tried to remember when winter break was. I looked at my phone calendar, figured out the dates, and responded.

"Beth! Dinner!" Dad called.

I dashed to the dining room, greeted with pasta covered in alfredo sauce. My mouth watered. For a week, I had been living on Lean Cuisine, smoothies, coffee, and the occasional Pop-Tart. "Looks tasty," I said, smiling.

"So, we want to hear _everything _about your stay," Mom said while I piled food on my plate.

I took a huge bite to try and disguise my bulging eyes. Oh god. I couldn't tell them everything! I swallowed. "Erm... why don't you ask questions, and I'll just answer them?"

Dad picked up his fork, like he was about to eat, and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," I lied. "Like a baby." I never screamed in my sleep at home. Well, I barely slept at home, but instincts somehow kept me from alarming my parents while I was unconscious.

They asked more and more questions, and I lied in response to every single one of them without feeling guilty. I really was an excellent liar.

**oooooooooooo**

I arrived at school the next day more tired than I had felt in a while. I only got three hours of sleep the night before, and I walked into the building with bags under my eyes. I wore a skirt (with tights, due to the cold end-of-November weather) and a long-sleeved tee-shirt in an attempt to look alive and not lazy, but I wore Converse as well because my feet hurt from wearing heels at S.H.I.E.L.D. all the time (although, Natasha did tell me heels doubled as a just-in-case weapon).

I was late to my first-period class. It was the first time I had ever been late, but I didn't care as much as I think I would. My punctuality basically flew out the window after being around the Avengers the week before. I walked in, finding my desk, and got all my things out. I turned my head to look at Maddy.

She was glaring at me. I wondered why, and then noticed... oh god. She was wearing a men's police officer costume. I decided that it was Tony who came up with the prank, so he could get the blame. "What?" I mouthed.

She motioned to her outfit, mouthing the word "costume," and I just tilted my head and furrowed my brows. She looked around, biting her lip, and when the teacher looked away, she flipped me off.

I gasped, shocked. "What?" I mouthed. God, she deserved this so bad.

**oooooooooooo**

At lunch, someone grabbed the hem of my top. "Beth!" they called.

I turned, ready to attack. I then saw that it was Maddy, and I calmed down, lowering my arms. "You scared me, Mads," I laughed.

"Um, Beth?! Where's your costume?!"

I made a face. "Costume? What do you mean?"

She groaned. "The feminist thing!"

"What feminist thing?" I asked. "What are you talking about?!"

"Remember? You told that jerk, Tony—oh my god. Oh. My. God. He tricked me. You never... oh my god, I'm gonna kill him!"

I held back laughter. "What about Tony?" I asked.

"He told me that you said we were gonna wear guy costumes to school as a march for feminism. Oh my god, why am I so gullible?!"

I shrugged. "You aren't gullible," I lied.

Maddy pulled at her hair. "Ugh, I am so pissed, like... I am going to find him, and I will KILL HIM!"

A few heads turned her direction. "Maybe don't say that so loud," I said, looking around.

We got to our lunch table and sat down. "Why did Tony even have access to your cell phone?" Maddy asked.

"Umm..." I tried to think of an excuse. "I had to... turn it in. We aren't allowed to use cell phones on the job. He probably heard it ringing and thought it'd be funny to mess with you."

"Ugh. Whatever, I've survived so far today, although just about every guy in the school has laughed at me. They're all rude anyway." She took a bite out of whatever was in her Thermos. From the smell, I guessed it was lentil soup. "We should hang out sometime. Does Saturday work for you?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Work."

"Sunday?"

"Work." I inhaled sharply. "I'm kinda busy."

I avoided conversation for the rest of lunch, silently eating my sandwich, letting my mind wander.

**oooooooooooo**

I walked home from school because both my parents were still at work. I had just sat down to do homework when my work phone started ringing.

I looked at the screen. It read: "Video Call from: Tony." Confused, I picked up. Video call? And why was Tony calling me?

I jumped back when a 3D image leaped out of the screen, hovering in the air. In front of me were all the Avengers, from the chest up. "Hey, Elizabeth," Tony said.

"Um, hi," I said, a bit wary. "Why'd you call?"

"We wanted to know how Stark's prank on Madison went," Steve replied.

I laughed a bit. "Well, at first she was pissed at me, but then I blamed it all on Tony." Tony looked shocked, and made a mock-offended face. "Basically all the guys in the school laughed at her."

They didn't look sympathetic at all. "What did she dress up as?" Clint asked.

"A cop," I responded. I heard the garage door open. "Oh, crap! My parents are coming home, so I gotta go!" I pressed end and hid the phone in my backpack.

(A/N): Sorry this was kind of a filler. Elizabeth will be back at work soon, though!


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N): Sorry for being the world's worst updater! I was grounded, and I feel horrible! I hope you like this chapter, though! I should have a new one up by next week! xo

**Chapter Seven**

It was late Friday night. I was home alone, working on homework that I had yet to catch up on from the previous week. My parents were out to grab some groceries.

While I was writing the answer to number 6 on my Geometry homework, my stomach growled. _I want cookies, _I thought. Unfortunately, I had already gotten a text from Dad saying that they were done with shopping and were about to drive home. I stared at the clock. They sent that text an hour ago! _The drive shouldn't be that long._

My normal phone—the one not made by Tony—rang. The number of the caller wasn't saved in my contacts, and the number didn't look familiar. I hesitantly picked up. "Hello?"

"Beth Lomen? Is that you?" the voice asked. "This is Amy Oliver." Thankfully, I knew an Amy Oliver. She lived across the street from me.

"Yeah, this is Beth," I said.

"I have some bad news for you, dear," she said. My heart started racing.

"Yeah?" I asked, voice shaking. What was happening?

"Your parents got in a car crash on Main Street."

I gasped, taking it in. What? "Are they...?" I started, my voice becoming weak.

"They're alive, yes, but severely injured. I saw it with my own eyes while I was going on a jog. There are a couple ambulances picking them up right now."

Tears fell on my homework. I didn't even realize I had been crying. I tried to wipe them away. "Okay," I said. "Um, thanks for telling me, Amy."

"Not a problem, dear. Do you need me to call any emergency contacts? A relative? Someone needs to be watching you while your parents are in the hospital."

I sighed. My work phone started ringing. "I'll call you back in a couple minutes. Someone's calling on the other line," I half-lied.

"Alright," she said. "You take care."

I ended the current call and picked up my work phone. It was another stupid video calls. Great. They would probably see me crying. "Hey," I said, attempting to smile.

Tony, Natasha, Steve, and Thor were there. I didn't know the time difference, but I assumed the other two were working. "Hi, Elizabeth," Steve said.

"Fury wanted us to remind you to pack for work tomorrow," Tony said.

I sniffed and wiped a tear, swearing in my mind for showing that I had been crying. "I'm not really in the mood for work," I said. "I'm sorry."

"What is wrong, Miss Elizabeth?" Thor boomed, concern apparent on his face. Actually, they all looked concerned. Even Natasha.

"Was it Madison?" Tony asked. "Sorry."

I laughed a bit, ironically enough. "No, it's not her. The worst she did as a result from the prank was flip me off."

"Then what's wrong?" Natasha asked.

I took a deep breath. "My parents got in a car crash tonight. I haven't seen them since before the accident, but apparently their at the hospital." It sounded strange to say it out loud.

"BRUCE!" one of them called. I didn't see who. "CLINT!"

In a couple minutes, they appeared in the hologram as well. I watched as they were told the story by Steve.

"Guys, it's fine," I lied. "Really. I'm fine."

"What time is it there?" Tony asked.

I furrowed my brows. "Around eleven... why?"

"We'll be there in an hour."

I rolled my eyes. "It takes longer than an hour to get to Oregon from New York," I reminded him.

"Not with Tony's crazy technology," Bruce replied.

I laughed through my tears. "I don't work until tomorrow," I said. The original plan had been for me to be retrieved today, but Fury had contacted yesterday and decided to pick me up on Saturday.

"Too bad," Tony said. "You're getting a normal weekend with us. Don't bother packing anything, you aren't working. Hold out for an hour, Junior."

With that, they hung up. I couldn't help but laugh. Maybe work was what I needed. Or, as Tony had said, _not_ work. The Avengers knew how to cheer me up.

I called Amy back, explaining that I had someone who would be watching me for the weekend, and then let myself cry. My parents were in the hospital—in my opinion, I had a right to sob.

**oooooooooooo**

_HONK HONK!_ I raced to the front door and looked out the window. A strange-looking red vehicle was in my driveway. Clint was in the drivers seat, honking the horn. The others were in front of it. Thor was waving frantically, grinning like mad, and the others had totally goofy but somehow sympathetic smiles. I walked through the door, remembering to lock it. "Hey," I said, my tears drying. I laughed. "You guys are insane."

"You were upset, and we didn't want you upset," Natasha said. Even she had been smiling, despite her usual indifferent expression that her and Clint always seemed to share. "C'mon. We have tons of deserts back at the tower."

I walked into the vehicle. I still wasn't sure whether it was a car or not. "Move over, Hawk," Tony said. "I'm piloting."

_Piloting? _I was shocked. In a few seconds flat, we were in the air.

I sat in the very back row in between Natasha and Steve. Bruce and Thor were in the row ahead, and Tony and Clint were in the front. "Thanks, guys," I said.

"Don't mention it!" Tony called. I rolled my eyes.

"You're like a little sister to us. We didn't want you to be sad about this," Steve explained. "And you clearly are sad, so it was our mission to make you happy."

I laughed. "Your mission? That sounds so dramatic."

"It is dramatic," Clint said. "Your parents are in the hospital."

With that reminder, my throat tightened. Tears started brimming on the bottoms of my eyes.

"Wrong thing to say, Clint." Natasha glared at him. It was the first time I had seen her express anger towards anyone other than Tony, and even with Tony, it wasn't that much. And angry at Clint? He seemed like her best friend.

"Sorry," he muttered, and I could tell it was sincere.

"It's fine," I said. I sniffed and blinked away the tears.

"So, do you like chocolate ice cream?" Bruce asked.

I laughed. "Is that even a question? It's my favorite flavor!"

"What are your opinions on the morsels they call 'chocolate chips'?" Thor asked.

I laughed again, this time more at Thor's Asgard-speak. "Love them," I replied.

They continued to ask all sorts of dessert questions for the way to the tower, a couple of them totally ridiculous. I couldn't stop grinning, despite the current incident.


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N): Wow, I had four exclamation points in my last Author's Note, didn't I? Sorry, off topic. Um, anyway... hope this is a good chapter, even though it is **sort of** a filler! (Dang it, another exclamation point.) Also, sorry for being a bad updater. Looooots of schoolwork recently.

**Chapter Eight**

After a bowl of chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips, I was feeling happy once again, although I worried about my parents. "What if they're not okay?" I asked.

Something I liked about the Avengers is that they never treated me like a baby, giving me false hope. "If they're not," Natasha said, "then you'll have something to work towards success for." I looked at her, confused. "Their memory," she explained.

I nodded. "Good point, but I'd rather work towards success to see them proud, not in their memory."

Thor and Bruce left to go to bed, apologizing but saying they were too tired. I believed them, too: they had started falling asleep.

Tony handed me a glass of something, eyeing Steve every once in a while. "Here," he said. "Have some... apple juice."

I laughed. Could he be any more obvious? It was definitely Jack Daniels, and definitely not apple juice. "Apple juice, yum," I said sarcastically. Steve, however, didn't seem to notice.

I took a long, much-needed sip. Mmm. Teen drinking was bad—trust me, I knew that—but it wasn't like I was alcoholic! I'd only had a few drinks in my life, and I think I deserved this one.

My phone rang. I checked the caller ID and smiled.

"Who is it?" Steve asked.

"It's my dad!" I announced. I picked up. "Hello?"

"Beth! Where are you?" he asked.

"Um... I'm at work, remember? I was getting picked up tonight." So maybe I hadn't informed my parents of the schedule change. Whatever.

"You're in New York?" Dad sounded shocked.

I laughed. "Well, yes. But that was the plan all along, remember?"

"Right, right," Dad said. "I'm in the hospital. Amy called you, right?"

"Right." I paused. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dad said. "I mean, I have a broken rib—"

"Serious? Oh my god, Dad, are you okay?!" My eyes widened. Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Clint tilted their heads. "Broken rib," I mouthed. They nodded.

"Beth, Beth. I'm fine. I'm calling about your mother."

My heart beat faster than a hummingbirds. _Oh god, please let Mom be alright._ "What's wrong?" I asked, panicked.

"She... is alive," Dad said, sounding sad, somehow. I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. "But she's suffering a lot of injuries. She's sleeping right now... possibly a coma, they say, but they don't know for sure."

Tears stung my eyes. "A coma?"

"It's not a hundred percent, Beth."

Coma. Coma. The word filled my thoughts, wrapped around my brain, sliced my heart. Coma. "O-okay." I inhaled sharply. "I'm really glad you're okay, Dad."

"I am too," he said. "Well... you have fun at work, I guess. See you on Sunday?"

"Yep. See you on Sunday."

"Okay, love you. Bye," Dad said.

"Love you too," I croaked. "Bye." I pressed end and cried, not caring who saw.

"What were you saying about a coma?" Tony asked, not joking about anything for once. It was weird to see him so serious.

I gulped. "My mom," I said. "They think she might slip into one."

They all had solemn looks on their faces. "At least your dad's alright," Clint added.

"Yeah," I whispered. I blinked a couple times, wiped my tears, and focused on a splotch on the wall. "I'll be alright," I said, unsure of whether or not it was true.

**oooooooooooo**

"Good morning, Agent Lomen. The others would like to see you on the meeting floor immediately," JARVIS said as soon as I woke up the next morning.

"Wha—um, thanks, JARVIS," I mumbled. I dragged myself out of my bed, and didn't even bother with brushing my crazy bedhead.

While in the elevator, my heart started pounding at a terrifying rate. What if they got contact from Dad, and Mom was in a coma?

"Hey, Elizabeth!" one of them called. "Get over here, we're having a meeting."

_Weird kind of a meeting, _I thought. They were all in pajamas. Due to not packing, I still wore my clothes from yesterday. "Hey guys," I replied. "What's up?" I sat on a leather chair.

"We've made a decision," Clint said.

I calmed down a bit, but not much. "Yeah?"

Tony smirked. "Believe it or not, we've been acting our best for your visit. However, we decided that we like you enough to actually be 100% ourselves around you."

I laughed. "So... what do you mean by that, exactly."

Natasha spoke next. "We're just gonna treat you like one of us."

"We're actually weirder than you think," Tony laughed.

"Let us have Pop Tarts on my floor in celebration!" Thor exclaimed.

Bruce sighed. "I don't want a Pop Tart. I'll go to your floor with everyone, though."

Steve shrugged. "At least I know how to cook Pop Tarts."

We all went to Thor's floor. I hadn't been to his floor yet, and was a bit interested to see how a Norse god decorated his living space.

Actually, the only other person's floor I'd seen was Clint's, on those nights with the alcohol. And those nights, I only saw the kitchen.

Well. This wasn't what I had expected. There was a pile of Pop Tart wrappers on a coffee table, Mjönir was in the sink, his cape was hung on a coat hook, and there was a huge pyramid of Pop Tart boxes full of every flavor... it was weird. I laughed.

Everyone had different flavors: I ate a cinnamin-brown sugar flavored one, Thor had a few (boxes of) strawberry ones, Natasha ate raspberry, Clint had chocolate fudge, Tony had unfrosted blueberry (_Unfrosted; what a weirdo, _I thought), Steve reluctantly ate a cherry one, and Bruce even more reluctantly nibbled on a s'mores flavored one.

"I'm out of orange juice," Steve said.

"Cool, while you're out, could you grab some bottled water and some eggs for me?" Clint asked.

"Some sourdough bread and mozzarella cheese for me?" Natasha requested.

"I am in need of salted peanuts and coffee!" Thor boomed.

"Could you grab some milk for me?" Bruce asked.

"I could use some Pringles just about now," Tony added. "And some Jack Daniels."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I thought that we all agreed grocery shopping is Barton's chore."

I couldn't help but laugh. The Avengers, Earth's _mightiest heroes_,assigned themselves chores?

"No," Clint said, disagreeing with Steve, "I thought we rotated weeks. It's your week!"

Natasha stared at them. "Boys, we probably shouldn't go grocery shopping while Elizabeth's here."

"I thought we agreed we were treating her like one of us, though!" Tony protested.

"Yeah! Why doesn't _she _go to the grocery store?" Clint asked.

Natasha sighed. "Okay. For one, she's only fourteen. She can't drive yet. She can't buy alcoholic beverages."

"Can we not all go to buy food?" Thor asked.

Tony made a groan-like noise and reached for a glass of whiskey that wasn't there. "I don't feel like getting through the paparazzi." He moved his hand around. "Hey, Point Break, got anything to drink?"

Thor smirked. "All I have is some mead brought over from Asgard, and I do not recommend something so strong in the morning."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine. We gotta get you something else to stock around here. All in favor of grocery shopping, say 'I.'" He paused. "I."

"I," Natasha said, crossing her arms.

"I!" Thor boomed.

"I," Clint mumbled under his breath.

"I." Steve raised his hand a bit.

"I," Bruce said.

They all turned towards me, as if they were waiting for something. "O—oh! Um, I."

Tony sighed. "Okay, everyone, dress casually enough and wear sunglasses; they shouldn't be able to recognize us without our suits and with covered faces. You know the drill." Everyone started towards the elevator.

"Um, guys?" I said. They all turned around. "I don't exactly have anything to change into... you told me not to pack, remember?"

"Get Elizabeth something to wear from your closet, Natasha," Bruce ordered.

Natasha nodded. "C'mon," she said. "You're done growing, right? You're almost fifteen. We're about the same size."

Natasha's floor. _This should be interesting_, I thought.

There weren't many decorations, unless you counted a huge shelf of guns and knives and things. Actually, there were lots of knives, more than I had expected. One of them was stuck in a wall. Something told me that I didn't even want to know the story behind that.

I was lead through a small hallway to a huge room. "So, this is my closet," Natasha explained.

I looked around. "Wow," I said, thinking out loud. It was huge, full of clothes and accessories galore. Natasha gracefully strided around, grabbing a few articles of clothing and a big-framed pair of sunglasses before throwing them at me. Not to brag, but I caught them perfectly.

"Here," she said, grabbing clothes for herself. "I'll be back to see how you look in five minutes. You change in here." And with that, she was gone.

I looked at the outfit in my hands. Dark wash jeggings, a black leather jacket, and a floral print tank top were in my hands, as well the sunglasses. Remembering I only had five minutes, I slipped them on. Thank goodness everything fit.

Natasha walked in right after I pulled the jacket on. She wore black skinny jeans and a light wash denim shirt under a military style jacket. "You look nice," she said. She ran and brought me some shoes. "They're size 7 ½."

I smiled. "Thanks. I'm an 8, but I'll squeeze." I pulled on the tan high-heeled ankle boots.

Natasha had this crazy grin, and I wasn't sure why until she spoke. "Mind if I do your hair and makeup?"

I was taken aback. This seemed so unusual for Natasha—she was acting so girly. "Sure," I said.

She dragged me to her bathroom. "Tell the boys about this and you lose a toe," she warned. I nodded. Now she was acting more herself.

Natasha's bathroom was messy, unlike the rest of her floor. There were bobby pins, heat tools, hairties, makeup, and a couple shotguns strewn all over the counter.

I was finally free to go after Natasha curled my hair and applied natural makeup. She had done her own hair and makeup while I was changing—she was quick.

The Avengers and I all met on the bottom floor of the tower. "Okay," Tony said. "Sunglasses on, look normal. The paparazzi is going to be looking for a group of six—having Junior with us will throw them off. Let's go."

We finally got to Costco. I couldn't stop laughing. "What is so funny?" Thor boomed. The others made shushing noises towards him.

"It's just... you guys... of all people... shop at _Costco_." I looked around. "Where's Tony?"

"Guys, come look at this!" Tony called from an aisle with what looked like tee-shirts for little boys. We walked over, confused. "An Iron Man shirt!" Tony exlaimed. He held up a red tee-shirt with a blue arc reactor design on it. He turned it to the back. It read, "The Invincible Iron Man."

Bruce smirked, looking at the other shirts. He held one up. "Oh, look," he said. "A Hulk shirt."

We all laughed. Steve held up another tee. "This one has my shield on it!" Steve exclaimed.

"Shh, not so loud," Natasha said. "We aren't supposed to attract paparazzi, remember?" She dug through the tops. "Why are there no Black Widow tops?!"

Clint searched as well. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "A Hawkeye shirt!"

Natasha crossed her arms. "I'm going to go check in the girls' shirts." She grabbed my arm. "Let's go, Elizabeth."

We speed-walked to a section of little girls' shirts. Natasha started digging like crazy.

"Is there something I can help you with?" asked an employee. Natasha snapped up.

"Oh, um, yes." She smiled. "Me and my friend here are trying to find a shirt for my niece. You see, she just _loves _the Black Widow. We noticed you had tee-shirts with some of the other Avengers printed on them, so do you have any Black Widow tees?" I always forgot how great of a liar Natasha was.

The employee woman shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry. We did have plenty of Black Widow tee-shirts, but I think they're all sold out."

Natasha's grin grew. "Oh, that's alright. Thanks for your help." As soon as the employee woman left, we sprinted back to the boys.

"Sold out!" Natasha called. "Ha! The Black Widow tops are _sold out_!"

All of the guys looked annoyed, except Thor, who still grinned, holding up a Thor shirt.

"Whatever," Bruce said, tossing the Hulk top back in the general direction of the shirts. Tony did the same. Steve placed the tee-shirt with his shield exactly where he found it, and Clint just dropped it on the floor. Thor tossed his behind his and accidentally knocked over something else.

Tony darted his eyes around. "Erm... let's go."


End file.
